Chilliwack Search and Rescue are calling for better behaviour from recreational dirt bikers and ATV users on local mountains, after a troubling situation this weekend.

Saturday was extremely busy for rescue crews all over the Eastern Fraser Valley, with several concurrent calls in the afternoon.

One of those calls was on Vedder Mountain, where a rider needed serious medical attention for a leg injury. Chilliwack SAR was called in for a stretcher recovery, to help the patient off the mountain for paramedics.

But the seriousness of the call didn鈥檛 slow down other recreational users in the area, who made some 鈥渟erious errors.鈥�

鈥淲hile on scene, clearly visible with our gear, stretcher, paramedics and the injured patient, a steady stream of riders continued to (fly) past us,鈥� the crew wrote on their public Facebook page. 鈥淩ocks, dirt and debris being sprayed at us, our equipment, and the patient.鈥�

And it got worse.

鈥淎 number of near misses put us at serious risk of injury from being struck,鈥� they said. 鈥淥ne rider flew past, running over a pack of medical gear, and dragged it down the trail away from us.鈥�

They underlined how unacceptable the behaviour was, and are appealing to everyone to use common courtesy around rescue situations.

鈥淚f you are using the trail systems and you see SAR or any emergency personnel, you must stop,鈥� they said. 鈥淧lease stop, dismount, turn off any engines if you have them, and walk past the scene. Our focus is on the patient and the scene and sometimes we need help keeping it safe for everybody.鈥�

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jpeters@theprogress.com
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